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Superintendent shares student and parent survey results showing behavior and communication gaps
Summary
Superintendent reported end-of-year student and parent survey findings: student aspirations skew toward four‑year college (48%), low tenth‑grade responses, and parent concerns about behavior consistency and communication; leadership plans targeted summer training and a deeper analysis.
At the Northbridge School Committee meeting the superintendent presented end‑of‑year student and parent survey results and outlined next steps for district leadership.
The student survey (grades 8–12) showed 48% of responding students selected a four‑year college as their post‑high‑school plan; 7.1% selected a two‑year college, about 7% selected technical schools, and 24% answered "I don't know." The superintendent cautioned that tenth‑grade responses were unusually low and said leadership will do root‑cause analysis to understand the shortfall and its effect on results.
On skills students value, the top five were time management/organization; communication and listening; work ethic and motivation; problem solving/critical thinking; and social‑emotional intelligence. Students favored interactive, hands‑on learning and said lecture‑heavy or passive strategies were among the least effective.
The parent survey produced 143 responses (66% elementary, 20% high school, 15% middle). The superintendent said 89% of respondents agreed their child’s school provides a positive, caring environment; support personnel were rated highly; but parents raised concerns about inconsistent behavior consequences, communication about incidents, and the district’s sharing of academic data and curriculum information.
"We had 143 parent responses," the superintendent said, and the leadership team will share detailed results with department chairs and use them to shape school improvement plans and a summer leadership retreat that includes additional UDL training.
Committee members and public commenters emphasized that 143 responses is a small sample relative to the district population (the superintendent noted the district has nearly 3,900 students) and urged more robust outreach and clearer, user‑friendly communication (Dojo, email, newsletters and parent portals were discussed). Parents and PTA representatives offered to partner on family education nights and volunteer initiatives to improve communication and school connections.
Leadership listed priorities for follow‑up: clearer communication about discipline decisions; more sharing of academic and curriculum information; continued expansion of flexible, engaging instructional models; and targeted outreach to boost survey participation and parent engagement.
